Ho ho ho...
Last night hubby and I dropped off a bunch of toys for the Salvation Army and toys/clothing for an organization called Treehouse. When we dropped off the toys for the Salvation Army, it was at the facility where people were queued up to receive toys. It's amazing the scale of the operation - that there is such a need for toys for parents who otherwise wouldn't have anything to give their kids for Christmas.
One could be a pessimist and say that parents shouldn't rely on such a service to participate in a commercial practice such as gift giving, but since I'm an optimist, I say it goes much deeper than that...
I think that this time of year can be as commercial as one wants to make it. When I approach the notion of giving gifts, it's to express a few things: appreciation for that person, extension of good will that can be passed forward, and to share with our friends and family some of our success we've had throughout the year. This year hubby and I upped the budget for each person on our gift list and reduced the budget on each other. Normally we don't have a budget on each other, so it was tough since I wanted to get hubby something that was above the budgeted amount we set for ourselves. Hopefully our friends and family will like what we got for them as we just like to make them happy. It just gives us joy to give to others - we like to give what we think the receipients would like, but we're not out there to compete with other gift-givers to provide the "best" present. I think some people do use that type of thinking when giving presents, which just makes it commercial and really doesn't reflect much thought - it ends up being an ego-booster for the gift giver.
Now, for these families that were at the Salvation Army location, from what I understand they have to pre-register to qualify for receiving gifts for their children. From what it looked like, there were also others just were not pre-registered and had to wait to talk to someone to see if there would be toys available for their children after those that pre-registered were done. Just from observation it did not seem at all that these people were taking advantage of this service - they seemed grateful that they could provide something to make their child happy. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the gifts received at this time is the only time the child got a present all year.
Since I am in a position where I wouldn't have to decide between getting a gift for a child or having to pay for basics such as utilities or food, it's very humbling to see people who are really in that position. It sure as hell makes my irritations look very miniscule in comparison.
As we were bringing the toys to the back (we collected some toys from hubby's office, but we personally donated a couple of things), we were told that for the families that qualify for gifts they get a "major" gift and a "minor" gift for each child. If some age categories had a lot of donated items, then the child would get an additional "minor" gift. I think a major gift would be something like a skateboard and a minor gift something like an action figure or board game.
What I found interesting is that since the Salvation Army has a Christian foundation behind it, some people are dead set against donating towards that charity. The organization isn't pushing any religious beliefs, but those beliefs are the basis of doing good for others. I just find it hard to understand why others are so against an organization that does a lot of good - so what if one doesn't agree with the founders' philosophy of a higher being? I've got good friends who are not of my faith, but the bottom line is that they're very good people and do many good works for others. But...I guess that type of religious prejudice will always be around, which is sad to say.
When I was growing up, getting presents at Christmas was very commercial - I really wasn't educated about the meaning of the holiday or what it could mean. It was all about getting gifts (and being under the gun to buy gifts for those you like and may not like so much) and going to a relative's home to eat and not much more. It really was an environment that facilitated greed since thre wasn't any direction to say "thank you" or any other form of appreciation. Since I was basically a good child, I felt like I "deserved" what was given since it "rightfully" mine.. Thankfully, my outlook has changed where it does mean more.
For me, when it comes to giving a toy to a child who really doesn't have much else and isn't in a safe or ideal environment, it gives them a bit of hope. It gives them a means to have a childhood where they can be taken away from the ills around them. I really haven't seen greed from these kids because they aren't exposed to having a whole lot so they appreciate what they can have.
Hope everyone has a great Christmas!
One could be a pessimist and say that parents shouldn't rely on such a service to participate in a commercial practice such as gift giving, but since I'm an optimist, I say it goes much deeper than that...
I think that this time of year can be as commercial as one wants to make it. When I approach the notion of giving gifts, it's to express a few things: appreciation for that person, extension of good will that can be passed forward, and to share with our friends and family some of our success we've had throughout the year. This year hubby and I upped the budget for each person on our gift list and reduced the budget on each other. Normally we don't have a budget on each other, so it was tough since I wanted to get hubby something that was above the budgeted amount we set for ourselves. Hopefully our friends and family will like what we got for them as we just like to make them happy. It just gives us joy to give to others - we like to give what we think the receipients would like, but we're not out there to compete with other gift-givers to provide the "best" present. I think some people do use that type of thinking when giving presents, which just makes it commercial and really doesn't reflect much thought - it ends up being an ego-booster for the gift giver.
Now, for these families that were at the Salvation Army location, from what I understand they have to pre-register to qualify for receiving gifts for their children. From what it looked like, there were also others just were not pre-registered and had to wait to talk to someone to see if there would be toys available for their children after those that pre-registered were done. Just from observation it did not seem at all that these people were taking advantage of this service - they seemed grateful that they could provide something to make their child happy. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the gifts received at this time is the only time the child got a present all year.
Since I am in a position where I wouldn't have to decide between getting a gift for a child or having to pay for basics such as utilities or food, it's very humbling to see people who are really in that position. It sure as hell makes my irritations look very miniscule in comparison.
As we were bringing the toys to the back (we collected some toys from hubby's office, but we personally donated a couple of things), we were told that for the families that qualify for gifts they get a "major" gift and a "minor" gift for each child. If some age categories had a lot of donated items, then the child would get an additional "minor" gift. I think a major gift would be something like a skateboard and a minor gift something like an action figure or board game.
What I found interesting is that since the Salvation Army has a Christian foundation behind it, some people are dead set against donating towards that charity. The organization isn't pushing any religious beliefs, but those beliefs are the basis of doing good for others. I just find it hard to understand why others are so against an organization that does a lot of good - so what if one doesn't agree with the founders' philosophy of a higher being? I've got good friends who are not of my faith, but the bottom line is that they're very good people and do many good works for others. But...I guess that type of religious prejudice will always be around, which is sad to say.
When I was growing up, getting presents at Christmas was very commercial - I really wasn't educated about the meaning of the holiday or what it could mean. It was all about getting gifts (and being under the gun to buy gifts for those you like and may not like so much) and going to a relative's home to eat and not much more. It really was an environment that facilitated greed since thre wasn't any direction to say "thank you" or any other form of appreciation. Since I was basically a good child, I felt like I "deserved" what was given since it "rightfully" mine.. Thankfully, my outlook has changed where it does mean more.
For me, when it comes to giving a toy to a child who really doesn't have much else and isn't in a safe or ideal environment, it gives them a bit of hope. It gives them a means to have a childhood where they can be taken away from the ills around them. I really haven't seen greed from these kids because they aren't exposed to having a whole lot so they appreciate what they can have.
Hope everyone has a great Christmas!